When we replaced our Oasis with a TI back in 2010 the only complaint my wife had was that the pedaling position wasn't as comfortable. She didn't like the way she sat lower in the seat and the raised position of her feet on the pedals. Moving the seat to the forward plugs improved it but she much prefered the higher seat position of the old model Oasis.I looked into skipper seats and decided against them because we use our TI as a kayak often. I tried some foam packing but it kept slipping. I realised that in order to raise the seat we would need to get seats that had four straps and build up the seat well so that it didn't slip, but could also be easily removable. We ended up getting a Surf to Summit GTS Expedition Seat:

and a cheaper but more versatile Sea to Summit Cruiser Kayak Beach seat:

To raise the seats I used some contour fenders that I had lying aroundEncased in a very tough layered material, I thought they'd be strong enough as they are designed to fend off boats [do not insert joke here ...slaughter are you listening?] and are closed cell foam so they won't absorb water.

By cutting them at the fold I was able to get enough for two seats after I added some closed cell foam to fill the gap of the shorter sections.

By punching a small hole in the fender flap, the original Hobie seat pegs can be used to stop any sliding. Sitting them on the original Hobie seat bottom keeps the drain plugs clear and adds more height and comfort:

With four straps both seats can be fixed using existing fittings:

My wife finds both seats to be very comfortable but prefers the thicker base of the GTS Expedition.I prefer the Cruiser seat as it has a very comfortable seat back that wraps around you well and is great for sailing the AI in kayak mode. It also can be removed and used as a stand alone beach seat:

This mod has raised the seat height about 4 1/2" for the GTS and 3 1/2" for the Cruiser seat over the original Hobie seats.Both seats got the thumbs up after 12 days of recent testing. She finds the raised seating position much more comfortable for pedaling and of course likes the added benefit of not sitting in a puddle.Undoing the bayonet seat pegs makes it easy to remove the fenders for use in kayak mode.

Hi Stringy,Great seat huh... what took you so long .I'v been pretty happy with my Surf to Summit seat for 2 years now. Mostly for it's improved back support, more butt cushioning and slightly higher (out of the puddle) seating.viewtopic.php?f=69&t=43500I tried different ways of raising the bottom, similar to what you've done but after a while it somehow changed the back supporting function of the seat, so I took the extra cushioning out. Now that's it's Summer, I don't mind the wet bum so much. In Winter I've just reconciled the problem to wearing my dry pants. Noticed in your pictures that you've put your old seats on your Hakas. This really is the best way to sit while sailing... and no "puddle" to boot .

Very impressive mod mate. And happy wife, happy life so they say. Having a comfy seat at camp, that doesn’t take up any extra room, is a bonus. Are there any negatives, cause I can’t think of any. Looks like you’ve covered all bases.

Thanks Keith, sEs and Slaughter.Keith ...yes it's not a cheap conversion but well worth it for the better pedalling position, increased comfort and drier ride.

sEs ...I'd been keen to try the Surf to Summit after I'd read your original post. I searched for it again recently when I was deciding what to buy. It's a shame your pics have disappeared. I'm not sure how raising the seat will cause deformation of the seatback but I'll keep an eye on it. Thanks for the heads up.

Slaughter ...You're right with 'happy wife/happy life'. We had very light or no winds on a number of days on our recent camping trip, so we had to pedal a bit. Kathy had no discomfort at all and was keen to keep exploring. We ended up camping 2 days longer than planned and then went back again a week later.Negatives? ...Cost, and it doesn't look as good as your skipper seat! A couple of positives I haven't mentioned ...with the sail furled the mainsheet now sits under my arm instead of rubbing on my shoulder and a drink bottle can be stored under the seat at the sides!

Stringy,Yes I know about the picture problem...very sorry. I'm not sure how to correct that though? I'm learning how to use Picasa now and that might make a difference for my posts in the future. The problem I had with an additional pad under my seat was that it wouldn't stay in place; it slid forward. I see that you fastened your foam pad using the new style seat pad attachments. I'll have to try that.

Regarding the "lost picture problem," I use Photobucket and recently gave a step-by-step procedure for posting pics on my "Expeditions" thread http://www.hobiecat.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=70&t=7276&start=495 I've been posting on that thread since 2007, I believe. All my pictures are still there except for one post which was corrupted during some change to the forum by Hobie. But, I pay a price, literally, to have my pictures up all these years. At some point, of course, you run out of your "free" space on Photobucket--they've got to make money some how. So, a few yrs ago, in order to maintain my space and pictures on PB, I began to pay about $3-4/month for additional storage. So, for about $50 US/yr, I have unlimited storage on PB--more or less, and my pictures are still in my long-running thread. At some point, not too many years down the road, I will stop this stuff and that thread will wilt away. For now, I still enjoy maintaining it.

As Fusioneng says, that's my story and I'm sticking with it.

Keith

_________________2015 AI 2, 2014 Tandem

"Any intelligent fool can make things bigger and more complex ... It takes a touch of genius and a lot of courage to move in the opposite direction." A. Einstein

I really need to do something about sitting in water all day. Today I had two adults and three children on the boat and anyone in the seats was sitting in a nice sized pool of water, not the best feeling.

I am in-between the foam mod I saw on here (pouring liquid plastic in the boat and then sanding it down to raise the seat 2 inches) or doing the mod listed here.

With this mod above, what is holding the black net thing under the rear seat in place? Do both the front and rear seats have the original hobie seats under then?

The captains chair mod looks the best but there really isn't any good documentation that I have found online.

With this mod above, what is holding the black net thing under the rear seat in place? Do both the front and rear seats have the original hobie seats under then?

The 'black net thing' is just a mesh bag that covers some closed cell foam. Because the rear pads are fixed using the Hobie bayonet seat pegs the front pad doesn't move much. The original Hobie seat bottoms are under both seats and help keep the drain plugs clear. They are fixed with the pegs as well.I have re-arranged the pads after I bought a couple of black contour fenders to replace the closed cell foam in the mesh bag:

This is working well and can be easily removed for drying etc. Using the two small pads with the large pad across gives better support.

Hi Stringy,I'm wondering if you added a padeye or cleat on the rails behind the seat.It looks like the seat straps will require some kind of connector where they attach behind the seat.Thanks for a great write up on the subject.Don. Mango2014

You're welcome Don. On the AI and the rear seat on the TI, the rear seat straps can hook into the bungee padeyes of the rear cargo well.On the front TI seat I just tied some cord around the X-bar and clipped into that. There is quite a bit of adjustability with the rear seat straps and they work OK clipped to the X-bar. Adding a padeye would probably be a better solution, though accessing that area for through-bolting may be difficult?

Hi stringy,Thanks, I'm pleased to hear that the installation of those rear straps is easier than I was thinking.Are those bumper pads necessary in order to keep the 'square' seat frames high enough over the rounded mold of the seat well? Will the seats fit without the padding? Have you developed a preference after using these a while? It would be a lot easier if I had the seats in front of me.Thanks for your inputDon, .........Papaya 2014

The seats fit great by themselves Don. The contour fender padding was added to raise the seats and get out of the puddle, much like what Hobie have done with the new mesh seats on the 2015 models.I prefer the back of the Sea to Summit seat as it wraps around more and works great for hiking out in kayak mode sailing. The base of the Surf to Summit seat is definitely more comfortable though.I have the Sea to Summit seat fitted permanently in my AI without the extra padding, as it mostly gets used as a kayak. I add the padding when used as an AI.Seating comfort is such a subjective thing though and you really need to try the seats out yourself. The Surf to Summit seat gets great reviews, but the Sea to Summit is about $100 cheaper and doubles as a beach seat out of the kayak. It also has better storage pockets and comes with 4 small webbing loops to assist in fitting. There is very little difference between the two as far as mounting straps. The four strap systems are virtually the same.There is a fault with the Sea to Summit seat strap buckle but it's an easy fix. After about a month of use the buckle deforms and the back slips. It seems that the extra force from pedalling/ hiking out on the Hobie is too much for it. It's an easy fix using another Sea to Summit product, their 'Field Repair Buckle' which is much stronger. They are aware of the problem and may have upgraded the stronger buckles already.